


In The Woods

by Bloodedbeat



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Demon Dave Strider, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Human Karkat Vantas, Kissing, M/M, Minor Character Death, So please go easy on me, demonstuck au, this is my first posted story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-08-14 22:13:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8030752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bloodedbeat/pseuds/Bloodedbeat
Summary: Karkat Vantas is a demon hunter, although he doesn't want to be. He comes across a Dave strider, the demon that he is supposed to kill. Will he fulfill that duty, or will he ignore it to get to know the demon better? ~ My first posted story! Please tell my of any errors, and criticism is welcome! Please take it easy on me though :) ~-Discontinued-





	1. Chapter 1

Karkat Vantas is a demon hunter. It wasn't a job he enjoyed at all, in fact he despised it. His dad and brother were also demon hunters, not giving him much of a choice to choose wether or not this was something we wanted to do. 

He was walking through the woods at the dead of night, the only sound is the occasional crunch of a leaf that he happens to step on. Being out here right now wasn't his choice. His brother shot a demon, and instead of finishing the job himself, insisted Karkat came and did it. 

His phone flashlight was his only guide for light, and even that wasn't enough to see through the pitch of the night. The moon shined in the sky, but you could barely see it through the thousands of tall trees. 

A large crash makes him stop in his tracks, pulling out his sickles quickly from his backpack. The sound of shuffling through the leaves was a dead give away that someone, or something, was definitely out here. 

He was about to open his mouth and call out to whatever was out there, when he was cut short by being tackled to the ground. He barely had time to react to what attacked him before it seemed to let him go. 

Time seemed to slow down as he glanced up at the creature before him. The demon that he was sent to look for. The white skin and hair gave it a way, since it seemed to practically glow in the darkness of the woods. It was wearing a red hoodie with a large hole directly in the middle, most likely from the bullet from Kankris gun. It's black pants and converse blended in with the darkness. 

The best part of it all, was the demon was wearing sunglasses. "Sup. You here to off me or what?" The demon, which seems to be a male, gave a lopsided smirk, obviously unaffected by Karkats presence. 

Quickly coming to his senses, Karkat jumped off the ground, getting into a fighting stance. "Unfortunately." Was all he could mutter out. He seemed confused for a moment, before giving a full on evil smirk. 

"I've done this song and dance once today, i can definitely do it again." With that, the demon jumped back, smirk still present on his face. "Go on, don't be a coward. Hit me." 

Not even a second after the words were said, Karkat pounced into the air, bringing his sickles down toward the demon, he squeezed his eyes shut. 

What surprised him was the sound of metal clashing with metal. Cracking open an eye, he sees that he took out a fucking sword. 

"Wow, who would've fucking known? Don't remember your kind ever using weapons before." Distaste was laced in Karkats words as he brought his sickles down again, the demon blocking it once more. 

"Don't remember your species sucking so badly at fighting. Seriously, this is actually kind of pathetic. It almost makes me not want to fight you with this unfair advantage." A wicked grin spreads across his face. "Almost." Bringing his sword to the side, the demon dashes past Karkat, sword making contact with the side of his arm. 

Hissing, he drops one of his sickles, right away clenching the wound as he drops to his knees. "Fucking- fucking hell-" He cuts himself off once he notices the demon towering over him. Sighing a long shaky breath, he keeps his gaze locked onto his sunglasses. "If your gonna kill me, fucking do it." 

A long silence settles between them, each passing second making Karkats confusion grow. "We-" 

"I'm not gonna kill you." He cuts him off, lowering his sword finally. "I don't do that shit, it's uncool. Although it seems like your set on killing me." He kneels down, now at the same height as him. "My name is Dave, by the way. I'd love to say and chat, but it seems like your brother is making his way here." 

He stares at him stupidly for a moment, opening his mouth to say something, but is quickly interrupted by the sound of his brother screaming his name, echoing off the trees. 

Dave smirks once he hears it, lifting himself up. He turns to abscond, stopping to look over his shoulder at the human still staring stupidly at him. "See you later, cutie." With that, he flashes away, having a large feeling he would see the grumpy human again. 

 

~ **** ~

You continue to stare stupidly in the direction that the demon fled off to. You curse yourself inwardly once you realize that you were too distracted by what he said to remember that your arm has a huge gash in it now. You place your free hand on the ground and push, lifting yourself onto your feet. 

Footsteps come closer to you. When you look up, you find your brother in the distance. "Kankri?!" You call out, hoping to get his attention. Luckily, he spots you and jogs over. 

"Karkat! Are you ok? Did it hurt you? Did you kill it? It didn't get away did it?" He grips your arms and you hiss, quickly pushing him away. You decide to humor him and answer his questions. "Yes, yes, no, yes he did." 

He seems disappointed, even a bit angry, that you let him get away, but it's quickly replaced with concern once he realizes your bleeding. "Karkat, that's quite the wound! Oh my, we must patch that up once we get back to the mansion." You nod as he grabs your free arm and drags you back home. Throughout the whole walk back, you can't help but think over what the demon said before it left. 

"See you later, cutie." 

There's no way he meant that. 

... Right? 

~ **** ~

"Karkat! Darling, are you alright?" Your attention is snapped from your thoughts once your gaze lands on Kanaya, your cousin. You can't help but to smile at her. You rarely smile anymore, but she always finds a way, without even trying, to make you feel better. 

"Yeah, in alright. It doesn't hurt that bad unless you put pressure on it." As Kankri drags you to the kitchen, Kanaya follows, a look of concern still on her face. 

"If you do not mind me asking, how exactly did you get hurt? I heard from Uncle Signless that you had something important to do, but I was not aware that you were going to get hurt so badly." She hands Kankri bandages, a damp towel, and rubbing alcohol. 

"Had to go demon hunting again. I fucking hate doing this stupid shit, but dad won't let me give it up. Have to live up to the stupid family name or whatever." You scoff at Kankri when he gives you a dirty look, but doesn't say anything as he applies the rubbing alcohol to the wound. 

You hiss out in pain, but you manage to not scream out. Kanaya still seems worried, but seems understanding as well. She also seems to think the demon hunting is quite weird, but never questions your dad about it. 

"Did you happen to kill the demon?" She asks after a long moment of silence, watching as Kankri wraps up your arm. 

You shake your head and laugh out bitterly, feeling disappointed in yourself but also strangely relieved. You never did like demon hunting, so not having to kill any of them relaxed you a bit. 

"Won't Uncle Signless be.. Upset?" She questions you, obviously concerned again. 

"Yeah. Maybe even a bit mad," you pause when your brother gives you a slight thumbs up once he finishes the bandaging, before walking away. "But, I'm not gonna tell him about it today. Or at least try to avoid the conversation if he already Knows. I'm just.. Tired." 

She nods understandingly, smiling softly at you. "I made your bed for you before you arrived you can go rest now if you would like." 

You return her smile, giving her a quick hug before dashing out the kitchen and up the steps. Your dad didn't particularly like it when when you ran around, but you didn't really care. 

As soon as you get into your room, you crawl under the covers and attempt to sleep. 

Strangely, the demon, Dave was it? Was still on your mind. You found yourself wanting to see him again. You weren't sure why, but something about him made it seem like he genuinely wasn't as bad as your dad and brother make most demons out to be.


	2. In the house

You awoke to golden sunshine shining in your eyes. Shifting in your bed, you go to move to shut the curtains, but find that you can not move. 

Cracking open your eyes, you glance down at your legs. You nearly jump out the bed at the sight. 

The demon you were supposed to kill yesterday is sitting on your legs, obviously staring at you. 

"What the fuck are you doing here?" You hiss silently at him, not wanting to cause a seen. If your brother or father finds out he's here, they'll have your head for not killing him. 

"Good morning to you, too." He responds casually, jumping off your legs, now standing near the edge of the bed. "To answer your question, I found you quite interesting so I followed you home."

Confusion is present on your face as you continue to stare. "You seriously followed me home? You do realize that the people who tried to Fucking kill you yesterday are here too, right?" 

He stays silent for a moment. You think he's staring back at you, but it's hard to tell with the shades in the way. "I know," he moves so he's sitting at the end of the bed. "But I don't really care about them. I just came to talk to you." 

You scoff, moving your legs up so you're sitting crisscross. "I hope you know I could kill you right here right now if I wanted to." 

"But you won't." You sigh, knowing that he's right, although you would never admit that out loud. "What's your name, anyway?" 

"... Karkat. Karkat Vantas." You mutter out, not knowing why you decided it was a good idea to tell a demon your name. 

Wow, making so many good choices today. 

He seems to appreciate it, though. So it seems somewhat worth it. "I already told you my first name, but my names Dave Strider. It seems your family is very set on killing me. Why is that?" 

You pause for a long moment, staring at your bed in thought. You never really knew the answer yourself, so you had no idea how you could tell Dave the answer. "I don't know." You answer truthfully. 

"You don't know?" He repeats, seeming confused. "How do you not know?"

"I just don't. I didn't make the rules or anything. It's just, one day my dad made the job. He never told me the exact reason why, I'm not sure he's told anyone before. Whenever he has a kid, they are forced, when they are of age, to join the demon hunting program, too. That's all I really know. He just hunts whoever, I'm not sure if there's a particular reason as to why he wants you dead." 

He stares at the ground in thought, then looks up to you. "Wait. You said he forces his kids to hunt too, right?" You nod. "So.. Do you actually like doing this stuff?" 

You don't hesitate to answer. "No. Listen, I know some demons can harm you, but I haven't actually seen any do so. My dad claims that they do, and since he's been doing this so long I sorta believe him, but killing isn't exactly my cup of tea." 

He hums in thought, getting up from the bed. "If you want an answer to that, most demons do hurt. It's unfortunate, but that's why we're called demons. That's what we're supposed to do. But, some of us, decide it's not worth it." 

"If you don't mind me asking," you start, watching as he starts walking to your window. "How did you even get in here?" 

He smiles at you, glancing over at the balcony. "Over there." He walks over to it, sliding the glass door to the side. You watch as he turns and looks over his shoulder one last time. "It was nice talking to you. You're not bad for a human. But, here's some advice. Not all demons are as nice as me. As much as you might hate that fact, you can never let your guard down. We'll meet again, Karkat." With that, he shuts the glass door, and hops off the balcony. 

~ **** ~

You sigh and watch as he disappears, pushing yourself out of bed. It probably wasn't the best idea to have a full on conversation with a demon that, even though he seems nice, could kill you without a second thought. But his words kept echoing in your mind. You aren't quite sure why he has such an interest in you, but you decide not to question it as you gather clothes for a shower. 

You trudge over to the bathroom, making sure to avoid your family so you don't have to have any pointless conversation. 

You quickly hop into the shower, making sure to take your bandages off before you do anything. Your supposed to take them off before you go in, but the hot water makes it easier to unwrap them. 

While you wash your hair, you can't help but dread the fact that your father will more than likely definitely be displeased that you didn't kill the demon. 

That was your first mission on your own, and it's likely he's gonna be pissed. Sighing, you step out the shower, drying off. 

You decide it would be best if you never let your dad find out you were talking with Dave, let alone tell him that he plans on talking with you again. 

You dress yourself quickly, shuffling through the cabinet to find the bandages. Once done, you wrap them firmly around your arm, making sure it isn't too tight. 

A knocking on the door makes you freeze. "Yeah?" You ask whoever is on the other side. 

"Father wants to speak with you after breakfast." It's Kankri, and he doesn't seem to happy himself. You sigh, knowing that you've both disappointed and pissed them off. "Alright." 

Once you know he's gone, you take your time while brushing your hair, not exactly looking forward to having to speak with your dad. 

At least Kanaya will be down eating breakfast with you, so it won't be too bad. 

~ **** ~

You walk down the steps, greeted by the smell of pancakes wafering through the air. You smile to yourself as you make your way into the kitchen. Everyone is sitting down at the large table, everyone except your dad. 

Kanaya is seated next to Porrim, her sister, the seat next to her is empty. You decide to sit down there, since Kanaya was really the only person out of your whole family that genuinely was nice to talk to.

Next to Porrim was your brother Kankri, they seem to be discussing something. 

Dolorosa, Kanaya and Porrims mom, is the one cooking. They all live with you and your family, since they didn't have enough money to find their own house. Your dad welcomed them with open arms, and your glad he did. 

"Hello, Karkat. How is your arm feeling?" Kanaya asks you sweetly. She was always the one who seemed to care about your well being the most, and you can't help but thank her inwardly for that. 

"It's doing better. Thanks for the concern, Kanaya." You smile at her as she smiles back. You open your mouth to say something else, but you're cut off by pancakes being placed on your plate. You thank Dolorosa as you cut a piece off. 

You are definitely not looking forward to the end of breakfast. 

~ **** ~

"Come on Karkat, you know dad wants to see you." You were finishing up your orange juice when Kankri calls you from the staircase. You sigh as you push your chair back and stand up. 

You spare one more glance at Kanaya, who glances back at you with a look of sympathy. You smile slightly at her before you walk away. 

"What does dad want to see me about?" You ask Kankri as he leads you up the stairs towards your fathers room. 

"A couple things. He didn't tell me exactly what they were about, but If he actually wants me to come get you it's probably important." He says, walking up to the hand scanner. 

Your dad was always weird with his room. There were no windows in there so nothing could get in or out, and you had to scan your hand if you wanted to come in. Only you, your brother, your dad, your cousins, and your aunt could get in. It still seemed kind of weird to you, but you guess you could understand since he's a demon hunter. 

You scan your hand after Kankri scans his, sucking in a breath. He allows you to push open the door, and you're greeted with your fathers angry face staring back at you from his desk. 

"Karkat, exactly who I wanted to see. Come now take a seat." He says calmly, although his expression says a different story. "We have a lot to talk about."

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, here we go! I hope you guys enjoy this story as much as I do. It might seem a little boring at first, but I have a lot planned for this! 
> 
> Kudos and comments would be highly appreciated! Come back tomorrow for a new chapter! <3


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